2025 QIPCO British Champions Day: Preview

Over the course ofThe grand finale of the flat racing season in Britain is now upon us, and here we are going to be looking ahead at the 2025 edition of British Champions Day at the historic Ascot Racecourse.

The iconic Ascot Racecourse hosts some of the country’s most prestigious race meetings, including the grand finale of the UK flat racing season – the QIPCO British Champions Day – which is also the richest race day of the year in the country.

The highly anticipated 2025 event begins in just a few days’ time, on Saturday, 18th October.

Gates are set to open at 10:30am, with the first race set to begin early on in the afternoon at 13:55pm, with the enthralling action then set to come to an end at 16:40pm. The feature race of the day, the QIPCO Champion Stakes, will be taking place at 16:05 as the penultimate contest of the day.

There are to be seven races as opposed to six this year, with the overall prize money for the entire race meeting standing at no less than £4.35 million.

There are going to be as many as five Group 1 races, with the richest race of them all on the day set to be the latest renewal of the aforementioned QIPCO Champion Stakes, which offers prize money of £1.3 million for the winner this year.

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Now, we are going to go ahead and take a look at all of the races to come at the 2025 QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot Racecourse, with the start of this race meeting edging ever closer. We will start with the opening race of the day, which is the QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup.

QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup – 12:55

The prestigious Group One contest that is set to open proceedings on Champions Day for 2025 at Ascot is, of course, set to be the QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup, with the latest running of this particular race set to take place at 12:55pm, early on Saturday afternoon. It has prize money for the winner worth as much as £500,000.

The most recent winner of the Long Distance Cup is Kyprios, with the Aidan O’Brien-trained horse emerging victorious with Ryan Moore as Jockey. Moore was able to finish ahead of the likes of Robert Havlin’s Sweet William and William Buick’s Trawlerman, who had to settle for second and third place finishes in the end.

Further Flight, trained by Barry Hills, is the most successful horse in the history of this race, having won it five times, consecutively, in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995. Hills is the most successful trainer, with 7 wins. His other two triumphs in this particular race were with Rainbow High in 1999 and Tastahil back in 2010.

Sir Gordon Richards is the jockey who has the most wins in the Long Distance Cup with 7, with him winning with Brumeux (1930), Brulette (1932), Felicitation (1934), Foxglove II (1938), Shahpoor (1943), and finally Vic Day in 1948 and 1949.

QIPCO British Champions Day Two Year Old Conditions Stakes – 13:30

Next up on the day is the QIPCO British Champions Day Two-Year-Old Conditions Stakes, which is a brand new addition to the race schedule for the 2025 version of the prestigious QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot. It will be taking place at 13:30 in the afternoon, with the prize money standing at £250,000.

This is the inaugural running of this particular race, so the winner is set to make history as the first to emerge victorious over this six furlong contest.

QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes – 14:05

We now move on to the 2025 edition of the QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes, which is set to get underway at 14:05 on Saturday afternoon. The prize money for the winner of the most recent running of this race is worth an incredible £500,000. It is also one of the five Group One races.

The most recent winner is Kind Of Blue, ridden to victory by James Doyle, whilst being trained by James Fanshawe. Doyle fended off some stern competition from the likes of runner-up Swingalong and Flora Of Bermuda in third place, who were ridden by Jockeys Billy Loughnane and Oisin Murphy, respectively.

There are two horses who jointly currently hold the record for the most wins in this race in particular, with two, which are Set Fair (1952 & 1954) and Jack and Jill (1958 & 1959). Whilst the jockey with the record number of wins so far is the legendary Lester Piggott.

Piggott’s 7 wins came with the likes of Abergwaun (1971), Home Guard (1972), Saritamer (1974), Swingtime (1975 – dead heat with Johnny Seagrave’s Roman Warrior), Absalom (1979), Moorestyle (1981), and finally Salieri back in 1983.

As for trainers, the likes of Walter Nightingall and Vincent O’Brien are the joint record holders for the most Sprint Stakes wins with 4 each. Starting with Nightingall, his wins came with Set Fair (1952 & 1954) and Jack and Jill (1958, 1959). As for O’Brien, Vincent’s wins were with the aforementioned Abergqaun (1971), Home Guard (1972), Saritamer (1974), and Swingtime (1975, dead heat).

QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes – 14:45

As for the fourth race of the day, the QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, it is set to get underway at 14:45 on the afternoon of Saturday 18th October 2025 at Ascot Racecourse. The prize money for this year’s running of this race will be standing at no less than £500,000, and it will be taking place over six furlongs.

The most recent winner of the Fillies & Mares Stakes back in 2024 was Kalpana, who, being trained by Andrew Balding, was ridden to victory by William Buick. Kalpana finished ahead of the likes of Sean Levey’s Wingspan and Luke Morris’ Tiffany, who finished in the final two spots in the race’s top three, coming in second and third place, respectively.

It is currently Shebeen and Crystal Capella who are the horses that jointly hold the record for  the most wins in this race, with two each. Shebeen’s triumphs came in consecutive years back in 1974 and 1975, whilst Crystal Capella went on to triumph twice back in 2008 and 2010.

The aforementioned Lester Piggott is the jockey who has the most wins of any other in the Fillies & Mares Stakes, so far as of the time of writing. He has 8 to his name, which came with Rose of Medina (1959), Green Opal (1960), Vhairi (1963), Bracey Bridge (1965), Bamboozle (1967), Mandera (1973), Karamita (1980), and finally One Way Street in 1984.

As for the trainer who is the most successful in this race to date, it is John Dunlop who has the most wins outright at the moment, with 9 to his name. His triumphs came with the likes of Predicament (1966), Trillionaire (1978), Flighting (1981), Believer (1982), Banket (1988), Labibeh (1995), Signorita Cattiva (1999), Head in the Clouds (2001), and Acts of Grace back in 2006.

The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes – 15:25

Then comes the third to last race of the entire day, which is going to be the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot, with the race set to get underway at 15:25 on the afternoon of Saturday, 18th October 2025. It has prize money of an incredible £1.1 million for the winner, with it being run over a distance of a straight mile at this historic racecourse.

The most recent winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes came back in 2024 at Ascot Racecourse, which was the pre-race favourite Charyn, who, trained by Roger Varian, was ridden to this triumph by Jockey Silvestre De Sousa. Maxime Guyon, on board Facteur Cheval, came in second place, whilst a David Menuisier-trained Tamfana, ridden by Oisin Murphy, had to settle for a third place finish to round off the top three in this particular race.

With two each, Brigadier Gerard (1971 & 1972) and Rose Bowl (1975 & 1976) are the two horses with the joint most wins in this race in particular, with both also doing so in successive years.

Meanwhile, it is Willie Carson who is the jockey who currently has the most wins outright in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes with 8, which came with the likes of the aforementioned Rose Bowl (1975 & 1976), as well as Trusted (1977), Homing (1978), Known Fact (1980), Teleprompter (1984), Lahib (1992), and finally with Bahri back in 1995.

As for the trainer who has enjoyed the most success in this race, it is Saeed bin Suroor, who has a total of 5 to his name in his career so far. He has to date emerged as a winner with the likes of Mark of Esteem (1996), Dubai Millennium (1999), Summoner (2001), Ramonti (2007), and most recently with Poet’s Voice back in 2010.

The QIPCO Champion Stakes – 16:05

Then comes the most prestigious and richest race of the day – the QIPCO Champion Stakes – which is also the feature race of the day itself as well. It is set to get underway as the penultimate race of the 2025 QIPCO British Champions Day at 16:05 in the afternoon, with it having an incredible amount of prize money for this year’s winner, worth as much as £1.3 million.

The most recent winner of this particular race came in 2024, when Anmaat, trained by Owen Burrows, and ridden by Jim Crowley, pulled off what was a shock victory when they finished ahead of the pre-race favourite, Stephane Pasquier’s Calandagan, who had to indeed settle for what was a second place finish in the end. It was Clifford Lee and the Karl Burke-trained Royal Rhyme who rounded of the top three, finishing in third place.

Tristan, with three overall, is currently the horse with the most wins in this race, which came at the end of the 20th century, and in consecutive years, back in 1882, 1883, and in 1884.

As for jockeys, the record total of 6 wins is jointly held by the likes of Danny Maher and Charlie Elliott. Starting with Maher, his wins came with Osboch (1901), Pretty Polly (1905), Polymelus (1906), Llangwm (1908), Bayardo (1909), and with Lemberg in 1910.

Elliott’s triumphs came with Ellangowan (1923), Asterus (1927), Goyescas (1931), Djeddah (1949), and with Dynamiter in consecutive years, in 1951 and 1952.

Finally, the leading trainer is Alec Taylor Jr with 8 wins. His career triumphs in this particular race came with Sceptre (1903), Bayardo (1909), Lemberg (1910 & 1911), Gay Crusader (1917), My Dear (1918), Buchan (1919), and Picaroon back in 1925.

The Balmoral Handicap Stakes – 16:40

The seventh and final race of the 2025 QIPCO British Champions Day at the iconic Ascot Racecourse is the much anticipated Balmoral Handicap Stakes. It is set to take place at 16:40 on the afternoon of 18th October, with the prize money on offer for the winner of the race standing at as much as £200,000.

No horse has ever won this race more than once since its inception back in 2014.

The most recent winner, doing so back in 2024, was indeed Carrytheone, who was trained by Michael Bell, whilst being ridden to victory in the end by Jockey Christophe Soumillon. Meanwhile, it was Ryan Sexton’s Lattam who came in second place, whilst it was Jamie Spencer and the Richard Hannon-trained Witch Hunter who came in third overall.

Excitement and anticipation is building ahead of the 2025 edition of the highly prestigious and long awaited QIPCO British Champions Day at the historic Ascot Racecourse. You and your guests can enjoy a day full of world-class horse racing in comfort and style with an Eventmasters Corporate Hospitality Package.

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